Memory Mismatch
by Bandicoot Sauce
Summary: The sphinx hair really hits the fan when Jake loses his memory, including all knowledge of his dragon powers... Aw, man!
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, come on, where is he?" Trixie exclaimed, frustrated. She and Spud were at the skate park. It was a bright, sunny day in New York City. "He said he'd be here by ten-thirty!"

"Maybe he meant ten-thirty at night." Spud suggested.

"Now who'd be dumb enough to go skateboardin' at ten at night?" Trixie asked, though one look at Spud plainly answered her question; he was currently trying to do an ollie on an upside-down board. The girl looked at the reader knowingly. "Need I have asked?"

"Hey, guys!" A familiar voice called. Spud and Trixie looked up to see Jake skating smoothly down one side of the half-pipe, sliding up the other side and doing a 360 in mid air. "Yeah, the Am Drag's got some skills, homedawgs! Skills to pay the bills!"

"Oh, quit showin' off, Jake." Trixie said. "Now, are we gonna have a skatin' tournament or what?"

"Can it wait, actually, Trix?" Spud asked. "I mean, I had leftover pizza for breakfast and I'm not sure my stomach is up for skateboarding just yet."

Jake tilted his head, now doing a handstand on one hand at the top of the half-pipe. "Well, if you're afraid that you're not good enough to beat the magical protector of the NYC, then by all means, sit the first few dozen rounds out." Jake taunted playfully, a sly grin spreading across his upside-down face.

Spud narrowed his eyes and turned his helmet backwards. "Bring it." he said simply.

"OH, YEAH!" Jake shrieked excitedly, pulling off his own helmet and tossing it away in showoff fashion. "It is on like- WhoaAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Our hero screamed as he lost his balance and fell, hitting the pavement hard, face down. He lay there, not moving.

"JAKE!" Trixie and Spud screamed in unison, rushing to his side. They turned him onto his back and he moaned, sitting up slowly, rubbing his head. There was a nasty purple bruise on his forehead and his nose was bleeding. He looked a little dazed.

"Whoa, man, that was seriously scary!" Spud exclaimed. "Are you alright, Jake?"

"Jake?" repeated Jake, staring at his friends with a puzzled look. "Who's Jake?"

Spud and Trixie exchanged worried looks at this.

* * *

__He's cool, he's hot like a frozen sun.__

__He's young and fast, he's the chosen one.__

__People, we're not braggin'!__

__He's the American Dragon!__

__He's gonna stop his enemies with his dragon power!__

__Dragon teeth, dragon tail, burning dragon fire-__

__A real live wire!__

__American Dragon!__

__American Dragon!__

__He's the American Dragon!__

__His skills are getting faster__

__With Grandpa the Master.__

__His destiny- What's up, G?__

__It's show time baby! To the legacy!__

__American Dragon!__

__("I'm the dragon, I'm not braggin', it's my destiny!__

__I'm the magical protector of the NYC,__

__Ya heard?")__

__American Dragon!__

* * *

****Memory Mismatch****

Jonathan and Susan Long, Jake's parents, came hurrying into the hospital's waiting room, Jake's little sister Haley at their heels. They spotted Trixie and Spud sitting next to each other, looking greatly distraught, and rushed over.

"We came as soon as we heard." Jonathan said breathlessly. "How's my… How's my…" He couldn't go on and burst into tears, unable to bring himself to say 'Jake-a-rooni'. Susan tried to calm him, being the more down-to-earth and logical parent. Haley was just staring at her shoes, not sure what to say.

"We haven't heard anything since he was admitted." Trixie said, her voice cracking. "I just hope he'll be alright."

Spud found his brains and, more to the point, his voice, at last. "Don't worry, guys. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'm worried too, but Jake's a dragon. He'll walk away from this and laugh about it later." He smiled comfortingly at Trixie before looking solemn and adding, "I hope."

An electronic bell dinged and the nurse walked in through the double doors that separated the patients from visitors and vice versa. Susan raced right up to her immediately, concern all over her face. The nurse calmly answered the fretful mother's unspoken questions.

"His physical injuries are nothing serious, and he will fully recover from them within a fortnight, but the bad news is…"

"I knew it!" Jonathan cut in, having finally dried his eyes… for now. "I knew there'd be bad news. Give it to me straight, Doc. I can take it."

"It seems that Jake has suffered long term amnesia." the nurse said grimly. "He has no memory of the accident or anything before it, as far as he can recall."

"Deep." Spud summarised. "Does he remember us, at least?"

"I don't think so." the nurse concluded sadly. "We've treated him to the best of our ability, but whether his memories will return remains to be seen. You can go and see him now, but take it slowly with him. Individuals with amnesia of this caliber are often confused, frightened and uncertain about who to trust."

The Long family and Jake's friends filed quietly into the Patients Ward. Jake was sitting on the edge of a bed, holding an ice pack to the bump on his head. Upon seeing him like this, Susan felt her heart break and it took all her will power not to burst into tears and embrace her son in a tight hug, but she knew better. Jake probably didn't even know who she was right now.

"Jake, you have some visitors in the form of your friends and family." the nurse said gently.

Jake gazed at the group before him, a group of clearly sad and worried faces trying to look braver than they felt. He didn't recognise any of them, apart from the two in skateboarding gear (but only by appearance, as they were the ones who had brought him here to get help. He was grateful for that). Nonetheless, they were all clearly worried about him, meaning that they cared for him, and that made Jake feel happy, happy that some people in this world were thinking of him. He greeted them with a friendly smile.

"Hello, everyone." he said, trying in vain to sound casual. If they were his family and friends, he didn't want them to worry too much.

"Hi, Jake." Trixie said gently, trying not to let her cracking voice betray her.

"Yeah, hey, Jake." Spud greeted, looking as though someone he knew had died.

The group all tried to introduce themselves to Jake, and boy, did it feel awkward for them. It was heartbreaking, having to introduce yourself to someone who had known you all his life. Haley was the first one to crack, bursting into hysterical tears right after telling Jake her name and proceeding to bury her face in the bedsheets, her distressed wailing somewhat muffled by the fabric. Hating to see his alleged sister sad, Jake tried to comfort her, gently patting her shoulder in what he hoped was a manner of brotherly love.

"Don't cry, Haley. Of course you're my sister." he said kindly. "I knew that if I had any siblings, they would have to be as cute as you."

Haley looked up at him tearfully, a faint smile forming at his words. She was greatly relieved when Jake pulled her into a gentle hug. She wrapped her arms around her big brother, feeling a sense of comfort.

"Jake, I'm… I'm your Mom." Susan said slowly, looking almost as bad as Haley, but still managing to keep herself together. "But you don't have to call me that! You can just call me Mrs. Long if that feels easier for you."

The concern, the sadness, the look in her eyes… Jake concluded that there could be no question. "No, no, it's okay… Mom." he said, smiling gently. Susan smiled back and stepped aside, allowing Jonathan to step up. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I kind of feel like Darth Vader right now, but… Jake, I am your father." he proclaimed awkwardly.

Jake tilted his head, frowning. "Didn't we go camping at some point?" he asked.

"He… He remembers me." Jonathan said softly in disbelief. He then whooped with joy. "He remembers me! HEY, EVERYONE!" he shouted, sticking his head out into the hallway. "MY SON REMEMBERS M-!"

Susan quickly pulled him back into the ward before he could embarrass himself any further. "Yes, Jake, this is your father, though sometimes I wonder about that." she said half-jokingly. They all chuckled at Jonathan's expense while he straightened his tie and tried to look dignified. This ended abruptly when he stepped forward and tripped over a bucket and mop. As Susan helped him up, Trixie and Spud took their chance to introduce themselves.

"Jake, we're your friends." Trixie said, smiling kindly.

"Best friends, that is." Spud inputted, but Trixie nudged him in the shoulder.

"Don't overwhelm him." she hissed.

"You guys helped me when I was hurt. You brought me here for medical treatment. You stayed to make sure I was alright. There can be no question that you are my friends, and damn good ones at that." Jake declared, shaking their hands. "I owe you guys so much. Thanks to you, I have been reunited with my family, and for that I'm grateful. I say that we get together at my house later, wherever that is, and watch a movie. I'll make the popcorn!"

"Not to get ahead of things, but I think everything is back to normal. Jake may have lost his memory today, but he sure didn't lose himself." Spud declared.

"Hey, that's really insightful." Trixie commented.

"Thanks. I read it on a card somewhere." Spud confessed. Trixie rolled her eyes.

"He seems a little weird." Jake whispered to Trixie. She shrugged.

"You'll get used to it." she replied. "Eventually. I'm still trying to."

* * *

That night, back at Jake's home, Susan and Jonathan were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping mugs of tea. Spud and Trixie had gone home and the Long kids were in bed.

"Hey, Susan, I've been thinking about something for the last half hour or so." Jonathan said, putting his mug down. "Do you think Jake will remember that he's a dragon?"

"I've been wondering about that, too." Susan confessed. "He might. He might not. Until we know for sure, it's probably best not to bring it up."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jonathan said, shrugging. "It was hard enough for me just to accept that dragons exist around me. Imagine how terrifying it would be for a kid to suddenly find out that he actually _is_ a dragon."

Later that night, a storm occurred, with thunder, lightning and rain ravaging the outdoors. Up in his room, Jake tossed and turned in his bed, caught in a restless sleep of strange dreams.

"No. What…?" he mumbled in his sleep. "What is this? I don't wanna… What's going…? Sphinx hair? What are you…? How is this…? No. No! This doesn't make any sense! I don't know what… What about dragons? I should… Dragon Up?" he asked the figure in his dreams, confused. As soon as the last mumbled words left his mouth, Jake's body began to grow, his skin turning to bright red scales as he continued to sleep. His mouth and nose became a snout and set of huge teeth. His hands became clawed and his feet grew larger. Wings produced uncomfortably from his back, spreading out across the bed. His tail grew, long and powerful, out from behind him…

Jake gasped and sat up in bed. Something was wrong. He could feel it. A loud clap of thunder sounded outside and he gasped again, gazing out the window at the heavy rainfall pelting the glass. He shook his head. "Must've been a nightmare." he mumbled. "I need a drink of water."

He got up and made his way through the dim corridor, trying to remember where Haley had told him the bathroom was. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky outside as he walked past the window in the middle of the corridor and he shivered. He found the bathroom and turned on the light, still half-asleep. He cupped his clawed hands under the running tap and took a sip, glancing into the mirror for just a fleeting moment before going for another sip…

"Huh?!" Jake's gaze became locked onto the mirror. The teeth. The ears. The reptilian features. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The dragon was still staring back at him, looking as horrified as he was.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in absolute terror, stumbling back and falling into the bathtub. "MOM! DAD! ANYONE! HELP!" He howled, shutting his eyes as he caught another glimpse of himself in the mirror. "No! This cant be happening! I can't be a dragon! I don't want to be a dragon…"

"We're coming, Jake, m'boy!" Jonathan called, footsteps hurrying in the hallway. The bathroom door burst open and Jake dared to open his eyes to see his parents standing there.

"Mom, Dad, you've gotta help me!" Jake pleaded, frightened. "I've turned into a horrible, fire-breathing…. dragon." he finished slowly as he looked down at himself.

He looked perfectly normal.

"Uh, Jake, what happened?" Susan asked, deciding to play dumb. This wasn't the first time Jake had changed into his dragon form in his sleep. In fact, before Jonathan had found out the truth, there had been some close calls when trying to conceal it from him.

Jake summarised the situation in his head and came to the obvious conclusion, feeling like an idiot. He sighed. "Oh, nothing, Mom. I had a weird dream and when I got up for a drink of water, the dream was still in my head and I thought I saw…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry I woke you over nothing."

"It's alright, son." Jonathan said reassuringly. "You've had a rough day. Perhaps it's only natural you'd have a nightmare after what you've been through."

"Do you want me to tuck you back in, son?" Susan asked kindly, instantly regretting her choice of words. Jake was fourteen!

"What? No!" Jake exclaimed, embarrassed. "I may have lost my memory, but I'm still not a little kid anymore."

"Right. Sorry. Mother instincts, you know." Susan said, shrugging. Jonathan put an arm around her and led her out of the bathroom, leaving Jake to head back to his room. Something was still wrong. He could hear it in his mother's voice. There was something that his parents weren't telling him, but what? Had something happened before he had lost his memory, something that everyone thought he was better off not knowing?

"Nah. They wouldn't keep something important from me. They're my family." he mused as he stopped in the doorway of his room. "If it was important, they would've told me."

Haley, who had overheard everything, peeked out of her bedroom, thinking about what Jake had just said. Jake was the protector of all magical creatures in New York. People were depending on him.

"He has to know, but not just yet." she whispered to herself. "He can go without knowing for one night. I mean, what're the odds that some sort of dragon business will arise right after he's lost his memor-?"

Her mumbled thoughts were interrupted when she heard the instrumental tune of the __American Dragon__ theme song coming from Jake's room. His phone was ringing! Haley gasped.

"I have a cell phone? Sweet!" Jake said as he picked up the cell phone on his bedside table. He was about to answer it when Haley suddenly tackled him to the floor and snatched the phone away. "Hey-!" Jake started in protest, but Haley pressed the 'answer' button and held the phone to her ear, waving Jake away, much to his annoyance.

"Hello?" she said nervously. "Oh, hey, Grandpa!"

"I have a Grandpa?" Jake asked, but Haley motioned for him to shush, annoying him to the point where he tried to wrestle the phone away from his sister.

"What's that, Grandpa?" Some __what__ business has arisen? You think Jake should __what__ up?"

__"Haley, what are you playing at? This is important!"__ Lao Shi said from his end of the phone call. __"Put Jake on! He needs to hear this!"__

"I heard that. He wants to talk to me!" Jake pointed out, still trying to grab the phone. "And __I__ want to talk to __him__! I ought to talk to my grandfather who I don't remember! I should get to know everyone in my family!"

"Jake can't come to the phone right now!" Haley half-shouted into the phone as she struggled with Jake. "He's caught up in some personal mind matters, so to speak! Plus, it's the middle of the night! Have a sense of consideration for others, will ya? I don't get __you__ out of bed at two in the morning!"

"Haley!" Jake exclaimed, loud enough for Lao Shi to know that he was there. "That's no way to talk to our grandfather!" Right then, he succeeded in grabbing his phone and holding it to his ear. "Sorry about that, Grandpa. Jake Long here. How are you?"

__"How am I?"__ Lao repeated, confused. __"You never ask me how I am! Jake, if you and Haley are trying to 'prank answer' me or something, it's not funny and there's no time for such nonsense! Now, get it together and Drag-!"__

"HE CAN'T! HE LOST HIS MEMORY!" Haley blurted out loudly. "HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HE'S A DRAGON!"

There was deathly silence from the other end of the line.

__"Say that again slowly."__ Lao said, his voice eerily calm.

"She right, Grandpa." Jake admitted. "I have amnesia. In fact, this feels like the first time I've ever talked to you, but it's nice that we've had this time to catch up, I'd say. I don't know what Haley's on about, though. What is it about dragons around here, anyway?"

__"Oh, no."__ Lao said softly. __"Oh, no! OH, NO, THIS IS TERRIBLE!"__ he shrieked, starting to hyperventilate. Another voice was then heard through the phone.

__"Take it easy, Lao. I'll handle it from here. Hello, Jake?"__

"Uh, hello." Jake said uncertainly. "Who's this?"

__"Jake, Is it true that you've lost your memory?"__

"Yeah…" Jake said slowly, not sure where this was going.

__"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all? Nothing, say, important? Like, __really __important?"__

"No, I don't think so. Should I?"

The speaker groaned quietly. __"Okay, Jake, I need you to put Haley on for a sec. Tell her it's Fu."__

Jake handed the phone to his sister cautiously. "Someone called Fu wants to speak to you, apparently." he said. Haley took the phone eagerly and held it to her ear again.

"Yeah, Fu?"

__"Haley, this is really big."__ Fu Dog said hurriedly. __"The leprechauns owe some dwarves some money and are unwilling to pay up. Long story short, the entire Magus Bazaar has become a total war zone. We need the American Dragon to settle this conflict before it spills out onto the streets of Manhattan and the magical community is exposed to humans."__

"But Jake doesn't even know about his… duties." Haley explained. "And I don't know how he'll take it or if he'll even believe it."

__"You have to make him believe, Haley. There's a lot at stake here. Worse still, Jake's friends are caught in the crossfire. They apparently went shopping for pizza earplugs - Spudinski's idea, of course - and they're now in a heap of trouble. Memory or no memory, Jake would never forgive himself if he didn't save them. You have to get Jake in a dragon hero state of mind. Do whatever it takes. Just get him down here pronto!"__ With that, the talking dog hung up.

Haley looked apprehensively at Jake, who was glaring at her suspiciously. "Haley, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Jake, you have to listen to me. This is really important." Haley said seriously.

"I'm listening."

"You might want to sit down."

"Why?"

"Just sit down."

"I'm not doing __anything__ until I know what-"

"JAKE, SIT DOWN!" Haley demanded warningly, her hand catching alight and turning pink, becoming clawed. Jake cried out in horror and stumbled backwards, falling onto his bed in a sitting position. Haley exhaled deeply and her hand returned to normal.

"What the heck was that?" Jake asked fearfully, staring at Haley like she was an alien on the verge of abducting him.

"Truth." Haley answered, making her whole arm pink and scaly again. Jake whimpered. "Jake, why do you think my arm is like this?"

"I'm not sure I want to go over all the possible answers to that." Jake replied nervously.

"Jake, I want you to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Just try to relax. I don't want you to freak out about this." She cleared her throat. "Okay, here goes: I am a dragon. DRAGON UP!"

In a burst of fire, Haley was gone, replaced by a little pink dragon with stubby wings. Jake screamed and tried to hide under the covers.

"Don't eat me!" he howled wildly. "I'm your brother! Hey, wait." He peeked out from under the sheets, a thought occurring to him. "If I'm the brother of a real live dragon, then…" he gasped. "No. It can't be."

"Yeah, Jake! That incident in the bathroom was real! You're a dragon, too! Isn't it great?" Haley asked, beaming.

Jake fainted.

Haley groaned at the sight of her unconscious brother. "Aw, man!"


	2. Chapter 2

It was the following day and Jake, Spud and Trixie were gathered in Lao Shi's workshop, the kids sitting on the sofa while Lao paced back and forth. Fu looked up at the situation every few moments from his newspaper before sighing and resuming his browsing of the previous day's race results. Jake glanced at the talking dog, still unable to get his head around the fact that a dog could talk and read a newspaper, but then, he had a lot of things he needed to get his head around right now.

"I can't believe it." Lao said at last. "The city of New York without its greatest hero."

What about Spiderman?" Jake asked. He and the other kids laughed uproariously at his joke.

"This is serious, young dragon!" Lao screeched. "The magical community depends heavily on you! Without you, chaos reigns!"

"He's not kidding." Spud exclaimed. "I can't believe how lucky Trix and I were."

"Yeah, it's a miracle that the riot in the Magus Bazaar died out. We could've gotten killed!"

"Yes, luck was on our side this time, but who knows what the future will bring?" Lao mused, staring out the window before turning to face Jake. "Jake, I need to know that you can live up to expectations, that you can be the American Dragon."

"Gramps, I told you, I can't." Jake insisted. "I'm not a dragon hero. Maybe I was once, but I don't remember any of that. I don't even know how to change into a dragon."

"But last night-" Trixie started.

"Last night was a fluke." Jake insisted. "I only changed as a reaction to a nightmare I had."

"Not a fluke, young dragon - an __instinct__." Lao corrected him.

"Please stop calling me that."

"The point is, you have the power to transform into a dragon within you. Dragons are amongst the most powerful magical creatures and you were born with the gift of that power. You can transform, and you __will__ transform because it is in your blood, because you are the American Dragon and because I, your grandfather, believe in you."

Jake stood up with a sigh. "Believe in someone else, Grandpa. If I did have it in me, I don't anymore."

"Nonsense, young man! Nonsense created by the doubtful!" Lao shrieked. "Come on, have faith in yourself and you will be able to unleash the dragon within you. Give it a try right now." Lao insisted, casting a look in Spud and Trixie's direction. They got the message.

"Yeah, come on, Jake. Just give it the ol' Dragon Up and show us some awesome!" Spud said encouragingly.

"Yeah, give it a go, Jake. What've ya got to lose?" Trixie said. Then she and Spud started chanting in unison. "Do the dragon! Dragon! Dragon! Dragon…!"

"Okay, fine, I'll try it!" Jake said, frustrated. "But I need quiet. If I'm to have any hope of doing this, I need full concentration. Okay. Hear we go. Dragon Up!"

Nothing happened.

"No, say it like you mean it. You've got to want it, Jake. Come on, really put some heart and soul into it!" Spud said.

"What would you know about heart and soul, potato boy?" Trixie asked. "You don't even have a brain!"

"Hey, I resent that!" Spud declared, picking his nose. Jake shuddered and stood upright, ready to try again.

"Okay, for real this time. Dragon… Up!"

Fu looked over the top of his newspaper. "No dice, kid." he said simply. "Hey, there's a circus in town." he added, noticing an article about it.

"You see? I just can't do it." Jake declared, his defeatist attitude prominent. He walked out of the room, heading to the fridge in the storage area for a snack. Lao shook his head sadly.

"His doubts and fears are holding him back." he concluded. "It's not that he can't become a dragon; he just doesn't want to. He doesn't want to accept the truth. He's behaving the way any mortal does when they learn about the existence of magic. He wants to close himself off, tune it all out and enforce the belief that everything is normal upon himself."

"Maybe there's a way to sort of, I dunno, bring out his dragon powers or something?" Spud suggested. "Like some kind of trigger, perhaps?"

"Hmm. You may be onto something, Spudinski." Lao mused. "But how?"

"We need to put him in a situation where he must be the hero. Not just because he needs to be in the eyes of others, but because he knows in his heart that he has to be. I've got a plan…"

* * *

Jake sat in the back room, mulling everything over in his head while munching on a slightly stale muesli bar.

"I can't be this 'American Dragon'. I'm just not cut out to be." he said to himself. "I'm just a normal kid, really. Maybe I have powers, but they're best kept locked away where they can't cause any trouble."

He then coughed. It was a bit dusty in the back room. His cough resulted in a puff of smoke and a few embers floating out of his mouth.

"No!" he gasped, fanning the smoke away with his free hand. "I won't let this freaky magic stuff control my life! I am a person in my own right! I'm not tied to any destiny or important responsibility!" He got up and started heading for the main area of the workshop. "There is nothing on this Earth that can make me utilise my dragon powers in any way! Nothing!"

A sudden loud scream made him jump and he hurried out into the main room. The sight that met his eyes made him drop the half-eaten muesli bar, his mouth hanging open.

Trixie was curled up on the floor, a hooded figure advancing on her with an axe. The blade of the axe was aflame and the figure's face was completely hidden by the shadow of the hood. Trixie cowered and whimpered as the figure raised the axe above his head, about to bring it down on the terrified girl.

"Trixie!" Jake gasped, worry flowing through him. Then something else flowed through him. Compassion. Compassion for his threatened friend. It filled him like boiling water. Steam was actually coming out of his ears. There was a sensation in his chest, a burning sensation, as though his concern for his friend was a spark that had ignited to become a flame that was ever growing. Bigger. Hotter. Brighter. It was all he knew. Bright, burning compassion that was completely unrivalled. It gave him strength, power, determination. The heart of a hawk. The heart of a lion. The heart of a dragon…

"No one hurts my friends." he hissed softly. "DRAGON UP!"

It _was_ like an instinct. The transformation came naturally, feeling so right, so good. It was like a refreshing and invigorating energy. Burning energy. Literally. Flames engulfed Jake and he began to grow, his body becoming lager, tougher. His arms and legs grew longer, fingers and toes becoming tipped with lethal-looking long claws. His mouth and nose became a long reptilian snout and jaw, teeth becoming canines and fangs. His ears became pointed, his hearing becoming sharper, as was his eyesight. The wings and tail produced from behind him. The American Dragon stood tall and proud, ready to defend the weak, the scared, the innocent.

Moving swiftly, Jake grabbed the hooded figure by the collar in one clawed hand, causing him to drop the axe, which fell to the floor, flames going out. Jake then lifted the figure in both powerful hands and made to throw him into the wall-

"Jake, stop! STOP! It's me!"

"Spud?!" Jake exclaimed in disbelief. Spud pulled back the hood to reveal that it was indeed him, smiling meekly. Jake dropped him instantly, causing the slow-witted boy to cry out in pain as he hit the floor.

"Ow! You could've just put me down gently, you know!"

Jake was hardly listening. He was staring down at his clawed hands, horrified. With a small pop unbefitting of the process, Jake instantly returned to human form. Once he was sure he was completely human again, he grabbed Spud by the collar once more and started shaking him violently.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" he roared. "I MIGHT'VE KILLED YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

"Jake, I don't think you'd ever be the one to kill me. I'm your best friend." Spud said matter-of-factly. "Besides, it got you to Dragon Up, didn't it?"

"You…!" Jake growled, shoving Spud away. "What if I had hurt you? I'd never forgive myself! This is exactly why I don't want to be a dragon!"

"Jake, get your head on straight!" Trixie told him, dropping the act now that the cat was out of the bag. "You don't just turn into a dragon; you __are__ a dragon! You're not a boy who can take on a dragon form; you're a __dragon__ who can take on a __human__ form! You can't run away from who and what you really are! I can understand that you're scared, but you need to man up, come to terms with reality and accept yourself as you are! It's the only way you can hope to be happy!"

"Is that a fact?" Jake demanded. "Okay, then! I'll come to terms with myself! I am the boy who has had it up to here with magic and dragons and whatever else! I am the boy who is going to go home right now, make himself a toasted sandwich, watch cartoons and maybe have a good laugh for the first time since he lost his memory! How's that for self-identification?!" he shrieked madly. With that, he stormed out of the shop, slamming the door so hard that the glass shattered. Trixie just watched as Jake stormed off up the street, then wheeled around to face Spud.

"Well, brainiac, any more brilliant ideas?" she demanded. "That went about as well as the time you tried to make chicken custard!"

"Hey, that was an embarrassing day for all of us!" Spud said as he took off the hooded cloak and tossed it aside. "And yes, I _do_ have another idea, actually."

"This'll be a treat." Fu muttered from behind his newspaper.

"What's the one thing Jake cares about more than anything?" Spud asked. He waited for an answer. None came. "Okay, let me try again: Lao, do you have a phonebook for Hong Kong?"

"Well, yes, but how is that supposed…?" Lao started, but then he caught on. "Oh!"

"So, what exactly did you have in mind?" Trixie asked.

"Well, you know that thing in the movies when…" Spud finished his explanation by whispering into her ear.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Trixie exclaimed. "Spud, that doesn't work in real life!"

"We're living amongst dragons and you expect me to believe that there's something that's not possible?" Spud asked in disbelief. "Look, just get me the phonebook."

"Okay, but I think I should be the one to do the talking, actually." Trixie pointed out. "An explanation from you always sounds bizarre and sketchy…"

* * *

It was two days since the unpleasantness at the workshop. Jake was at home, sitting on the couch with a big bag of potato chips, watching the lineup of prime time shows. He was feeling quite relaxed and content. He looked up at Haley as she came over.

"How are you feeling, Jake?" she asked pleasantly, taking a seat beside him and helping herself to a chip.

"Pretty good, sis. It's nice to just chill out once in a while and spend time at home with the family. I feel like going skateboarding tomorrow. Wanna come?"

"Skateboarding?" Haley repeated, surprised. "But that's how you lost your memory in the first place! How about we go do something else tomorrow, just you and me?"

"Like what?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow. Haley had that look in her eye that younger siblings get when they want something.

"Oh, I don't know. We could go out for ice cream, see a movie, practice using our dragon powers…" Haley said in what she probably thought was a casual manner.

"No!" Jake said firmly. "I told you and everyone else that I don't want anything to do with that. I may have these powers, but as far as anyone knows, I'm just a normal teenage boy and that's the way I like it. All that stuff is behind me now. I'm just Jake Long, casual, easy going guy-"

"And Mac Daddy Dragon of the NYC." Haley declared. "You can't just turn your back on who you really are, Jake." she said, cloaking her arm in flame so that it became pink and clawed. "Sooner or later, you're just gonna have to accept that, whether you like it or not."

She got up and walked away, Leaving Jake to stare sadly after her.

"No. __She__ has to accept that I'm __not__ the American Dragon." he said quietly. "And that I never will be again. Maybe I never was in the first place."

A short while later, Jake's parents headed into the living room, all dressed up for something formal.

"We're going out for dinner and dancing with Grandpa." Susan said. "Will you be alright to watch Haley for the night?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jake said, stifling a chuckle at the thought of an old man like Lao on the dance floor.

"That's my Jake-a-rooni." Jonathan said, smiling. "You kids have fun."

Haley watched from her bedroom window as her parents got into the car and drove away. She pulled out Jake's phone and punched in a number.

"Phase one complete." she said quietly to the person on the other end.

"Roger that." Trixie replied. "Everything is set. All you have to do is act casual until… you know."

"Oh, you mean when Ro-" Spud started to say loudly, but Trixie clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "If Jake hears Haley talking on his phone, it might blow the whole thing!"

Haley hung up and waited patiently in her room, still awake long after Jake had gone to bed, reading a book until she heard two sharp raps on her bedroom window.

"Showtime." she whispered.

* * *

Jake awoke in the middle of the night, needing to go to the bathroom. He got up, looking down at himself as he turned on the light.

"Still human. How sweet it is." he said happily, stepping out into the hallway and heading to the bathroom. He had just finished up in there and walked out when he heard a noise behind him. He turned, seeing nothing. Another sound to his right, a light whooshing noise. He gulped, starting to feel nervous. He then shook his head, deciding he had imagined it. He started to head back to his room.

__SMASH.__

Jake nearly jumped out of his skin at the noise. He turned to see that an expensive looking vase had been knocked over, broken pieces strewn about on the hallway floor. He hadn't been anywhere near it, so that meant someone else had knocked it from its position atop a small table. Something was wrong. Jake could feel it. Someone was here. Someone who shouldn't be. But who? And where?"

"Ear of the Dragon." Jake whispered instinctively. He then paused, raising his eyebrows. "Ear of the dragon?" he repeated. Why had he said that? He reached up and felt his right ear. It was pointed and the skin felt rough. Reptilian. "Huh. Weird." he said with a shrug. He then noticed that he could now hear every little sound. The faucet dripping in the kitchen downstairs, behind a closed door, no less. A clock ticking in his room, which he was still standing across the hallway from. A cricket chirping… in the neighbour's backyard? He could even hear the TV in the house across the street, detailing the highlights of a football game. The score was fifty to seventy-five. "Enhanced hearing. Kind of cool, I guess." he said, again shrugging. Then he heard a new sound. It was a boot pressing softly against the carpet, its wearer breathing ever so quietly.

__The sound was coming from Haley's room.__

Jake raced across the length of the hallway and burst in to his sister's room. All was quiet. Nothing moved. Haley was still asleep in bed. She then opened one eye, noticing her brother.

"Jake? What's wrong?" she whispered. "Wait, why is your ear-?"

"Shush!" Jake hissed sharply. He could still hear it. There was still something out of the ordinary in this room. He walked slowly around the bedroom, Haley watching him worriedly. Jake pressed his ear against the closet door.

The breathing was coming from within.

Jake flung the closet door open and threw a punch in amongst the clothes, completely missing the figure dressed in ninja gear, who leapt out with a somersault, standing upright in the bedroom. The ninja was a girl, her braided blonde hair hanging behind her, face hidden by a black mask, only her eyes visible. She glared at Jake with those cold, blue eyes.

"Nice to see you, dragon boy." she sneered. "I was just going to capture your sister, but now that I know __you're__ here…"

"You were going to…?" Jake asked, his face becoming a dark mask of hatred. "Oh, no, you didn't. DRAGON UP!"

Haley watched with barely hidden excitement as her brother changed into his dragon form. Jake threw a punch with his now reptilian fist, but the ninja dodged with effortless ease, got behind Jake and kicked him in the middle of his back, sending him sprawling forward.

"Catch me if you can!" the ninja taunted, backwards somersaulting out of the room. Jake growled and leapt up, hurrying after her.

"Phase two complete." Haley whispered to herself.

Jake looked left and right in the hallway. The ninja was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she dropped from above and tackled him to the floor, showing surprising strength.

"Hey, get off me!" Jake cried, surprised when she did just that. She chuckled at the sight of him sprawled on the floor.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" the ninja declared. She didn't sound threatening anymore; she sounded somewhat playful. "Put your back into it, dragon boy! You call yourself the American Dragon?"

"I am NOT the American Dragon!" Jake protested, scrambling up in time to have the ninja grab him in a headlock and give him a serious noogie. She let go and giggled at the annoyed look on his face before racing off into the darkness of the house.

"What is her deal?" he wondered aloud, bewildered. He looked at his wings. He willed them to flap. Once. Twice. "Alright, let's see what these can do." he said, taking off and soaring through the narrow corridor and downstairs, following the sounds of the soft but hurried footsteps that his dragon ears brought to his attention. He landed gracefully in the kitchen, glancing this way and that. He looked up, expecting the ninja girl to drop from above again, but she sneaked up behind him and tickled him under the arms. He yelped and leapt forward, whirling around to glare at her.

"A ticklish dragon." the girl mused. "Priceless." Before Jake could react, the girl had tackled him to the floor once again and started tickling him all over.

"Hey! What-?!" he exclaimed in surprise. Then he started laughing in spite of himself. He couldn't help it; he was __very__ ticklish and this strange girl was starting to seem fun, as crazy as that sounded even inside his own head. "No! Stop!" he pleaded, giggling uncontrollably. He then managed to roll right over, reversing the positions of himself and the ninja girl so that she was pinned down instead of him. He changed back to human form and started tickling her, his mischievous side getting the better of him.

"Wha…? Jake, no!" the girl protested, giggling more than he had. "How…? Stop!"

Jake did stop. Quite suddenly, in fact. He stood up, reminding himself that this girl had shown up to make trouble. She wasn't some playmate or anything like that. "Alright, enough messing around!" he said angrily. "What's with you? You show up looking to start something with me and my sister and then you try to get chummy! Just who are you?"

"Why don't _you_ tell _me_, dragon boy?" the girl said, pulling off her mask. Jake was taken aback. She was beautiful. She looked to be about his age. There was something about her, something almost… familiar…

An image flashed in Jake's mind's eye. Only for moment and then it was gone. He was standing in a room filled with glowing skulls that were floating. Thirteen in total. He was holding a staff in hand. The ninja girl was floating up towards a portal. He could feel a great sadness somewhere deep inside at the image… The memory…

__"I wish Rose was never taken by the Huntsclan!"__

The words were his. They were in his voice, and yet, he couldn't recall ever saying them. Not with his mind, anyway. With his heart, however…

"Jake." the ninja girl said gently, interrupting his thoughts. She placed a hand on his cheek. "Do you know who I am?"

"Rose…" Jake mumbled softly, the name sounding so clear, so correct. "Your name is Rose, but… how do I know that?"

"You saved me, Jake Long. A while back, you saved me. I owe you absolutely everything. I love you."

"I don't even remember who you are, but… I feel the same way about you." Jake said, realising just how true this was. Acting solely on instinct, he began leaning towards Rose. She smiled and leaned towards him. Their lips met and Jake could see colours exploding behind his closed eyelids like fireworks. The sensation he was feeling was amazing. It was everything. It was the ultimate. The ultimate truth. He loved Rose and she loved him.

Jake started to see other things in his mind's eye. The exploding colours turned into images and sounds. Memories…

__"Kid, we haven't got time for dress rehearsal." Fu was saying. "And you haven't even mastered going full dragon yet!"__

__"Oh, yeah? Watch me." Jake declared smugly. "DRAGON UP!" In a flash, he had become a dragon. It was the first time he had been able to fully transform without botching it. "I… I did it!" he gasped in amazement, proud of himself. "I'm the American Dragon!"__

The American dragon…

__He's gonna stop his enemies with his dragon power.__

__Dragon teeth, dragon tail, burning dragon fire…__

__A REAL LIVE WIRE!__

Lights clicked on all over the place in Jake's brain. He had gone to school with Spud and Trixie, having to endure the frustrating lessons and grouchy attitude of Professor Hans Rotwood. He had fought the Huntsclan, finding out that the one destined to kill him was the girl he had feelings for. He had helped Rose defy and destroy the Huntsclan before using powerful magic to rewrite history so that Rose could live out a better life starting from scratch. He had gone on to face the Dark Dragon, subsequently reawakening Rose's lost memories of their time together, as she had done for him now…

The passionate kiss ended and Jake and Rose broke apart. "It's… It's true." Jake gasped. "I'm the American Dragon, the magical protector of the NYC." Silence followed his statement. Then-

"AW, YEAH!" he cried. "I'm the dragon, I'm not braggin' and I'm back to stay! I think I speak for all of us by saying HOORAY!"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You did __not__ just say that." she exclaimed, grinning.

"Right now, I just have one thing to say." Jake said seductively. "I love you, you brilliant girl."

"You're not too bad yourself, dragon boy." Rose declared. They kissed again, just in time for Jake's parents to walk in through the front door. They broke apart hurriedly.

"Oh, um…" Jake stammered, his cheeks reddening. "I've got my memories back." he said, hoping that that statement would distract his parents from the fact that he had just been caught up in some excessive snogging.

"Is that so?" Jonathan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then you probably remember that YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE GIRLS OVER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, YOUNG MAN! ESPECIALLY NOT AT THIS HOUR!" he declared, earning a disapproving look from his wife.

All Jake could say was… Say it with me, readers!

"AW, MAN!"

****The End!****


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